I remember watching my grandson, Levi, as he took his first swimming lessons. He wasn’t a huge fan of water. Prior to the lessons, he didn’t like to put his head under. With the encouragement of his teachers and the genius games they played to get the kids excited, he can now put his face underwater. His whole head has even been submerged! This didn’t happen in his first lesson but each day we all congratulated him on his progress and each day he became brave enough to go a bit further. Before we knew it, this kid was swimming for hours with his cousins!
We can all relate to this story when it comes to our children, grandchildren, and friends. We’ll all stand on the sidelines cheering them on and praising each step they achieve. So why do we beat ourselves up when we don’t seem to hit a goal as quickly or as easily as we had hoped?
It’s time we learn to show just as much grace to ourselves as we would to those we love.
CELEBRATING SMALL WINS WHEN YOU’RE CHRONICALLY ILL
WHAT ARE SMALL WINS?
Small wins are bits of progress we achieve as we’re working on a bigger goal. For example, your big goal could be removing added sugar from your diet and a small win could be that you looked up a list of ingredients that you need to watch out for like dextrose, fructose, maltose, etc. Even though small wins may not seem like much they compound over time and can result in big changes!
REASONS TO CELEBRATE OUR SMALL WINS
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- It motivates us toward more progress because we’re looking at things from a positive perspective instead of a negative one where our focus is on failure.
- It allows us to be content in the journey instead of thinking happiness will only come when we reach a set goal.
- It sets us up for healthier habits when we celebrate each step.
- It helps us live in the moment instead of focusing on something yet to come.
- It energizes us and floods our brains with dopamine and other feel-good chemicals that we need more of when we’re chronically ill.
- It boosts our confidence which we can leverage toward new and larger goals.
CELEBRATING SMALL WINS
First, you have to get in the habit of noticing them. Did you get a step further than yesterday? That-a-girl! You weren’t able to get any further but you were able to repeat the progress you achieved yesterday? You rock!
But what if you stalled out today? What if you were stuck in a flare and ended up in bed all day? You’re awesome! Your body has waged a war today and you had to fight that battle with all you’ve got! The habit or goal your working on will still be there as soon as you’re well enough to attempt it again.
Reward yourself. What is something that brings you pleasure? A new book, an episode of your favorite show, fresh flowers, a long walk, a special herbal tea? Think of something that would make you feel good and give yourself a few moments to bask in the glory of a small victory!
Achieving goals and developing habits looks completely different for us than it does for our “healthy” friends. It looks less like a straight line and more like a twisty-windy roller coaster. That’s just our reality.
What makes us successful isn’t that we meet a certain goal by a certain date. We’re successful because we keep gently pushing ourselves every day we’re able.
We’re social beings so letting others know about our wins creates a little celebration party and will help motivate others to celebrate their wins.
